September 05, 2007	Wednesday	Sha'aban 22, 1428

NEW YORK, Sept 4: Roger Federer responded to a stellar start by Feliciano Lopez with an even better finish to advance to the quarter-finals and a clash with old foe Andy Roddick at the US Open on Monday.

Three-time defending champion Federer earned a match-up with 2003 champion Roddick by defeating Lopez 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in a two-hour slugfest on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 60th-ranked Lopez had Federer on his heels early, winning the first set with five aces and 11 winners. His dazzling display continued until Federer scored a break in the 10th game to win the second set and Lopez never recovered.

Next up for Federer will be fifth-seeded Roddick, who was leading 7-6, 2-0 when ninth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych retired with nausea and breathing problems in their fourth-round clash.

Also advancing were fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and 10th-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany. On the women’s side, winners included fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, sixth seed Russian Anna Chakvetadze and Israeli upstart Shahar Peer.

The 25-year-old Lopez played as well as he could during the first two sets, causing the 23,000 in the cavernous stadium to squirm in anticipation of a monumental upset.

But Federer won the second set and kept the pressure on his bewildered opponent.

Federer won 35 straight points on his serve in the final two sets.

Federer committed just 12 errors during the 199 points played in the two-hour match. Lopez had 22 winners in the first two sets but only 12 thereafter.

Kuznetsova needed only 74 minutes to dispose of awe-struck Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Open’s last eight for the first time since winning the title in 2004.

Kuznetsova is the highest remaining seed in the bottom half of the draw. She now faces unseeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary, who beat Ukraine’s Julia Vakulenko 6-4, 7-6.

Chakvetadze had 23 errors during a second-set wobble but defeated Austrian teenager Tamira Paszek 6-1, 7-5, and now faces Israel’s Shahar Peer for a place in the semi-finals.

Peer, the 18th seed, reached her second Grand Slam quarter-final of the year when she brushed aside Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, third-round conqueror of 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-1.

Haas scored a mild upset when he defeated number six American James Blake 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-4, while Davydenko continued his march through the draw with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over South Korean Lee Hyung-taik.

Davydenko, who will face Haas in the quarters, has not lost a set during his four Open matches.

In a doubles upset, top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan were beaten 7-5, 6-4 in the quarter-finals by 10th seeds Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Julian Knowle of Austria.

Monday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Fourth round: 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4; 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) 6-1, 6-3, 6-4; 10-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat 6-James Blake (US) 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4); 5-Andy Roddick (US) beat 9-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 7-6 (8-6), 2-0 – Berdych retired.

Women’s singles:

Fourth round: 6-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-1, 7-5; 18-Shahar Peer (Israel) beat 30-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4, 6-1; Agnes Szavay (Hungary) beat Julia Vakulenko (Ukraine) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1); 4-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 6-2, 6-3.

Mixed doubles:

Quarter-finals: 3-Yan Zi (China)/Mark Knowles (Bahamas) beat Nathalie Dechy (France)/Andy Ram (Israel) 6-4, 6-4; Liezel Huber (South Africa)/Jamie Murray (Britain) beat Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)/Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Poland) 6-1, 6-2; Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)/Max Mirnyi (Belarus) beat Sania Mirza (India)/Mahesh Bhupathi (India) 6-4, 6-1; Meghann Shaughnessy (US)/Leander Paes (India) beat Ashley Harkleroad (US)/Justin Gimelstob (US) 6-3, 6-4.

Men’s doubles:

Quarter-finals: 10-Simon Aspelin (Sweden)/Julian Knowle (Austria) beat 1-Bob Bryan (US)/Mike Bryan (US) 7-5, 6-4; Julien Benneteau (France)/Nicolas Mahut (France) beat Robert Kendrick (US)/Sam Querrey (US) 6-3, 6-4.—Reuters